


The Poetry of Earth is Never Dead

by Aezrel, fieldsofbarley



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Hades and Persephone Myth - Fandom
Genre: F/F, Genderbending, Slow Burn, douchecanoe!Zeus, fem!Hades, non-binary!Hermes, thatmom!Demeter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2016-12-06
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8636959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aezrel/pseuds/Aezrel, https://archiveofourown.org/users/fieldsofbarley/pseuds/fieldsofbarley
Summary: The super gay retelling of Persephone's abduction by Hades that no one ever wanted or asked for. Featuring genderbent and non-binary gods, gay af goddesses, Demeter as That Mom(™) and Zeus as a douchencanoe of white male privilege. Really, everyone should just stay out of each other's business, but then we wouldn't have a story.Title quote by John Keats, from his poem "On The Grasshoper And The Cricket"





	1. "For she is a fair maiden, fairest lady of a house of queens"

**Author's Note:**

> All of the thanks to fieldsofbarley for her awesome editing and input!
> 
> Chapter title quote by J.R.R Tolkien

 

The first time I saw her, she was picking flowers. It makes sense when you think of it, goddess of Spring that she was, but at the time I didn’t know. At the time, I had just come up for air, and my life had not yet been turned on its axis; even Lords of The Underworld miss sunlight every once in a while – or at least, this one did. I wandered slowly across one of Demeter’s lush green meadows, my fingertips dragging along the tall grass, the sunlight I had craved warming my body. I felt the beginning of a smile creep across my face, my eyes slowly drifting closed.

Her laughter shattered my silence. 

I whirled around, seeking the sound, and that was when I saw her, all golden hair and sun-kissed skin, bright honey eyes flashing with delight as she raced across the meadow, nimble fingers darting out to pluck this or that flower as they caught her eye, nymphs chasing after her with cheerful calls. I stood still as she ran right past me, unseen in my Helmet of Invisibility. The fabric of her gown brushed against my leg, causing her to slow to a stop a few feet away, eyes searching the air around me in confusion as her laughter slowly faded and the tiniest frown marred her brow. For a second, it seemed as though she looked right at me, our eyes locking even though hers remained unfocused and unseeing, and mine desperately tried to take in every line, every detail, and commit it to memory. Her lips parted, as if to say something, and I felt myself leaning toward her, my attention caught. What was she going to say? What was she thinking? What? _What?_

“Persephone, slow down!” One of the nymphs finally caught up, launching herself into her arms. Persephone laughed again as she caught her, that split-second of possibility gone. I felt my shoulders slump with disappointment, which was ridiculous; I now knew she was Persephone, goddess of Spring, but I didn’t even _know_ her.

“What are you looking at?” Still practically dangling from the goddess’ neck, the nymph looked around, her eyes sweeping over me without so much as a pause. Honey-gold eyes wandered again near where I wasn’t so much hiding as I was unseen, before her features relaxed into an easy smile and she brushed a lock of the nymph’s hair behind her ear with casual affection.

“Nothing, really. Just thought I saw something.” A huff of fond displeasure sounded from her companion, who disentangled herself and pulled the goddess along by the hand “Come _on_ then, the others are waiting, let’s go!” Another laugh and they were taking off across the fields, agile and graceful as deer. I crossed my arms over my chest and felt myself hunch over, inexplicably sad all of a sudden, the absence of their laughter and joy like a gaping hole inside my chest I hadn’t even been aware of until then. With a last look at the departing figures, I turned around and walked away, letting the earth swallow me whole.

 

I went back, of course. For some reason, I could not seem to stay away from that meadow, with its piercing sunlight, fresh spring grass, and the echo of a joy I could feel like a ghost in my heart, real but not, there but not. Her presence was like me when I donned my helmet, unseen, unnoticed. Was I real, if no one could see me?


	2. Act quickly, think slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The goddess of Spring has to deal with an unexpected visitor... and her mother. Oh boy!  
> Or the one in which Persephone is so done she's practically a steak.
> 
> Chapter quote from an old greek proverb

I ran from the meadow, laughing at Calonia’s exuberance as she all but yanked me along by the hand until I was running at full speed to keep up. We made our way back to the river where the others were waiting. Well, not so much waiting as glancing around for us every once in a while in between giggles and lighthearted shoves. They called to us as we arrived, noticing our breathlessness and flushed faces. Without responding I less-than-gracefully threw myself into the water, relishing the coolness on my skin.

“Why are you always running off, Persephone? Don’t you love us?” One of the others asked, playfully splashing water at my face.

“Maybe I just like running,” I retorted with a wink. She pouted prettily and I smiled and splashed back, earning myself indignant shrieks as the other nymphs joined in.

For a while we just played in the water and I almost forgot that strange feeling I’d gotten in the meadow, as if someone had been watching me. But a part of me still kept a curious eye on the river’s edge.

It was true that I loved running, the wind biting against my skin as I whipped through the grass. But no matter how far or how fast I ran, I could never escape the unshakable feeling of uncertainty and disillusion, a feeling that I never dared to share with my friends. As much as I loved my life in my mother’s endless fields, in the back of my mind I always wondered if this was all there is. Was I fated to spend forever this way, a carefree being whose only concern was where to find her next source of amusement? Was it bad that I, a literal goddess, was constantly wondering if maybe there was _more_? Then again, what was I even accomplishing by running off? It wasn’t like life was suddenly going to smack me in the face. Ugh, this was entirely too complicated.

“Sephhhh!” Polyxo, another of my mother’s nymphs, clung to my arm. “You are running off again!”

“I’m right here, sweetling.” I leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, making her giggle and fall back into the river.

“You were running off in your head!” She accused when she came back up and I smiled apologetically.

“Well, I’m here now.” After a brief moment, a delicate flower crown appeared in my hand and I gave it to her, causing excited cries to rise up from the other nymphs demanding their own. I obliged, of course; they were beautiful, cheerful creatures and I would give them the world if they asked me.

The afternoon was passed like that, filled with flower crowns, splashes and screeches of delight, and I was content. My earlier musings about the purpose of my immortality faded to the back of my mind, and instead I thought that I could easily just be this; a goddess of Spring, bringing light and joy to those around me. Maybe that would be enough.

Giggling of a slightly different variety pulled my attention from my thoughts, and I noticed my friends whispering amongst themselves, elbowing each other as they pointed at something across the river. Following their antics, I noticed a young man on the opposite bank, watching us with a slight smile. He tilted his head toward me in greeting and my companions nearly exploded with glee. One of them actually did explode, turning into her natural form of a field of flowers at the riverbank. I rolled my eyes.

“Greetings, fair ladies!” He called out in a booming voice, running a hand through messy black hair. “I am Heracles, and I have need of this river!”

I felt my eyes narrow at the words. He had what now? I made my way across the shore and watched as his smile slowly faded and his eyes tracked my body like prey. I was thoroughly unimpressed, but decided to ignore it and smiled at him anyway.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean,” I told him. “If you want to drink, surely you can do so without claiming the entire river?” He bowed, eyes never leaving me, the cocky smirk back in place.

“Of course, my lady, but my need is greater than that. I must divert the course of this river in order to perform a labour that will help me attain godhood.” I blinked slowly, because what he said did ring a bell in my memory. All of Olympus was abuzz about Heracles and his twelve labours, gods placing bets or whether he would or wouldn’t be able to perform them and become a full-fledged god. Looking at him, I wasn’t terribly sure we wanted him among us, and I really liked this river as it was so…

“No.” His jaw dropped a little and his eyes widened. His mouth worked up and down, trying to form words for a couple seconds before he cleared his throat and straightened up, his broad shoulders nearly blotting out the sun. I tried not to laugh.

“I must beg your pardon, my lady, but what do you mean, no?” I fought the urge to sigh and rub my temples, instead smiling sweetly at him.

“I mean no, Heracles, you may not divert the course of this river in order to perform whatever terribly important labour will grant you immortality.”

“But…” He looked really, really lost all of a sudden.

“Yes?”

“Well, I… I have permission.” It was my jaw’s turn to drop, though I like to think I covered it up a bit better than he did.

“What do you mean, you have _permission_?” Oh, now I sounded like him. Behind me, more tittering ensued from the nymphs, who were seemingly having a grand time about this even though it was _their_ river he was planning to divert. True, he was good-looking, in an objective way, but _really_. He ran a hand over his hair again, but this time the motion was more self-conscious than cocky.

“Well, the great goddess Demeter has given me permission to divert the river, for she has seen my imminent need and elected to grant me aid.” He seemed almost sheepish about this, as if he didn’t want to steal my moment, and I felt the strange urge to ruffle his hair. Which I repressed, obviously. I couldn’t believe my mother had allowed this overgrown puppy to divert an actual river, altering the landscape of her fields just so he could bang his chest and brag to his friends or whatever. She must be up to something.

“Well, I…” I glanced behind me at the giggling nymphs who all seemed to be undressing him with their eyes, even though he was really only wearing pants and… was that a lion pelt over his shoulders? Part of me wanted to snap my fingers at them, diverting their attention and preventing further swooning all over the poor innocent flowers. I sighed. “I suppose, in that case…” Ugh, I couldn’t believe my mother! “I guess we’ll just leave you to it.”

“Thank you!” He sprung forward and his massive arms wrapped around me, lifting me up into a hug which I was too shocked about to even try to escape. I smiled at him, because he really was adorable, in a clueless way, and patted his arm. He put me down and puffed out his chest.

“Well, I guess I better get to it then! Thank you, lady!” And he happily bounded off downstream, stopping a few meters away to start digging.

I whirled around and started for my mother’s cabin in the woods, dodging my friends’ attempts at making me stay and their complaints about how I was going to miss the show. A few of them had already settled on the banks near Heracles, eating fresh blossoms and throwing shouts of encouragement amid commentary on how beautiful his muscles looked in the sunlight. Why was this my life?

 

 --------------------

 

 

“Mom!” I shouted, slamming the door behind me. The mother in question, who was currently admiring herself in the mirror while eating grapes and fluffing her blonde hair, turned to me with an utterly innocent – and utterly fake, I was sure – expression.

“Persephone, my _darling_! Come, give your mother a kiss! Why so grumpy?” I felt my eyes narrow into slits, but I did walk over and plant a begrudging kiss on her upturned cheek. Aggravating as she was sometimes (okay, most of the time) I did love her, and I had a hard time staying mad at her, even when…

“Why did you let a giant bear into the garden?” I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my hip, trying to give her my sternest look – admittedly it never worked too well, because goddesses of Spring are apparently not very threatening.

“Giant bear?” She blinked in genuine confusion “Whatever do you mean?”

“Heracles, mom. You know, the demigod with the labors and the…” I gestured absently, looking for the right word “Shoulders.” She beamed, clasping her hands to her chest and letting out a dreamy sigh.

“Oh, Heracles! Why, he is just so handsome, isn’t he? And so nice too! A really charming young man, if not all there in the head. I would wager all he needs is a woman’s guiding hand to turn him onto the right path.”

“Speaking of paths, you do realize he wants to divert one of your rivers, right?” Because this was Demeter, quite possibly the most territorial goddess on the planet, and she was just letting it happen? She waved a dismissive hand.

“Oh, I know, I gave him permission. He promised to put it back once he’s done cleaning some stables? Or something? I didn’t quite get all the details, I was too distracted by how nice his smile is. Isn’t his smile nice, Persephone?”

“Sure? I guess? But look mom, what about the nymphs? Not to mention all the plants and animals that depend on that river and-“

“Darling, I already told you he promised to return everything back as it was. I couldn’t really say no, for he’s just a young man trying to make it in life. Admirable drive, very ambitious, and single too! Don’t you think he would make a great husband?” She said offhandedly, casting me a sly look. And then she winked, because of course she did.

“Mom, how many times must we have this conversation? I’m not looking for a husband.” I threw my hands up in frustration. Really, when you’re immortal and living with your overbearing mother and her pathological need to find you a husband things get old surprisingly fast. Or maybe not so surprisingly, really.

“But _darling_ , of course you must find one! All the other goddesses have daughters who are happily married, and I am the only one who cannot brag about my single, beautiful child having someone strong and capable who can look after her in my old age! I mean, what will you do when I’m gone?”

“Mom, you are a _goddess_. You literally cannot die.”

“That is completely beside the point! This worry makes me lose sleep, which is really just like losing years of life. I could get wrinkles, Persephone! Wrinkles!” She took my hands in hers and gave me her best pleading look. I cringed, because she was really good at it, too. “Can you not do this one, tiny thing for your old, ailing mother, and give him a chance? Maybe let him show you how many heavy things he can lift! I’m sure it would be impressive.”

“I’m impressed already.” I retorted dryly.

“Oh, why must you be so difficult!” She abruptly let go of my hands and crossed her arms over her ample chest with a huff. I was briefly amused by how much the pose was just like the one I’d struck, but the amusement vanished right quick when I realized she was trying to pin this on me.

“Oh no you don’t, you’re the one trying to foist apes on me!” I placed my hands on my hips “And you say I’m difficult?”

“Because you are! What young goddess in her right mind would refuse a practically gift-wrapped perfect specimen of a man? Honestly, if I were a few centuries younger I would probably go after him myself! Alas, all my hope lies with my beautiful, perfect daughter.” More pleading eyes.

“Mother, no! Just no, alright? No husbands, no gift-wrapping, and certainly no Heracles! Get rid of him!”

“Absolutely not. I promised him he could use the river to complete his labor thing, and I definitely do not intend to go back on my word about it. I have to respect the young man for being so determined to achieve his godhood, and plus, it will make Zeus angry, and you know how much I adore making Zeus angry.” I sighed in defeat and she smiled brightly. A pause.

“…Does this mean you will have dinner with him?”

“Mom!”


End file.
